When Art Found Me

I spent a long time thinking about this quote and art as a part of my life; when did I start drawing, when did art begin to “interest” me. As I began to recall specific events, I realized that art has been a part of my life for almost 60 years; beginning with the “Magic Screen” from Winky Dink & You.
(I Googled Winky Dink and found that this 1950's Saturday morning kid’s show impacted many an artist’s life!)
Another early influence was the John Gnagy program Learn To Draw. I was given the art kit as a gift and drew along each week. (Each time I use my kneaded eraser, I think of this show.) I also Googled John Gnagy and found that the drawing sets are still being sold. The website created by his daughter includes YouTube presentations of the original TV programs. http://tseymour.com/gnagy.html

I grew up in a small town, art wasn’t a big part of our school curriculum.  I don’t remember much of anything that I might have been taught except for one high school class. When I compare my art classes to what my daughter’s included, I was quite jealous. (I never heard of batik 50 years ago.) In high school, one of the classes included a lesson using pastels; another medium I never heard of. I loved it. This is when art became something that I was interested in.
My real regret was that no one took much interest in art or encouraged my talent or interest. There was no mention of art school, art careers, or creating a portfolio.. In other words, no one took art seriously. It was just a hobby.

I bought a set of pastels at the local stationery supply store. I had that set for the best part of 4 decades. My first creations were made with those pastels.